Author Archives: Rachel Lange

It was a very cold Saturday in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC but the Fillmore Silver Spring was cozy with the heat of a completely sold-out house for Alter Bridge’s date on the Pawns & Kings tour. Mammoth WVH continues along for the party, and for the first half of the US tour, Nashville’s Red has the opening slot.

As a known Alter Bridge fan, I was grateful and excited to cover them again, and looking forward to finally seeing a DC area show—they hadn’t played the Fillmore since February 2017. The last time I covered the band was in Oslo, Norway last November. Saturday, instead of a trans-Atlantic flight, I just took the S9 Metrobus up 16th Street to get to the show.

Frigid temperatures notwithstanding, the conditions were perfect for a great show—the devoted Alter Bridge fanbase filled the venue to the literal rafters and familiar and friendly photographers greeted me when I arrived at the entrance to the photo pit. My favorite Fillmore security guy was working that night too—we were looked after well.

At 7:30 sharp, the lights dimmed, and Red took the stage. On the Christian rock scene since 2002, Grammy-nominated Red (Michael Barnes, brothers Anthony Armstrong and Randy Armstrong, and Brian Medeiros) was unfamiliar to me prior to Saturday night. The high-kicking front man Barnes must have sensed that they were new to many people in the audience and asked the crowd who was seeing Red for the first time. Many hands, including my own, shot up. Nonetheless, the compact, just-under-25-minute set was an impressive introduction to the band’s body of hard rock (Red’s next album, Rated R, is set for release this spring), getting the energies of even wary agnostics like me amped for the rest of the show.

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In the early ’80s, a new form of heavy metal music emerged with the first wave of black metal bands. Characterized by a thrash or speed metal sound, the lyrics of black metal songs were defined by the use of anti-Christian and Satanic themes. The term “black metal” was coined by the English band Venom, with their 1982 album Black Metal, and the first wave of black metal bands came from Europe. Mercyful Fate, hailing from Denmark, was part of this first wave.

After a career spent influencing bands like Metallica and Slayer, Mercyful Fate went on hiatus in 1999 and, after regrouping a for a few performances, returned to performing on a more permanent basis in 2019. In October, Mercyful Fate kicked off their first official North American tour since 1999 and brought the black metal party to the Fillmore Silver Spring on Tuesday night.

The Fillmore was packed to the point of making me feel claustrophobic and was filled with fans who ranged from the (very) old school to kids with corpse paint. With beer flowing from the bars, it was carefully controlled chaos. At 9:20, the curtain dropped from the stage revealing an elaborate stage set, complete with an upside down cross. The band (comprised of founding guitarist Hank Shermann, drummer Bjarne T. Holm, guitarist Mike Wead, and bassist Becky Baldwin) took their positions on stage first.

King Diamond, in full makeup and a horned mask (he’s thought to be the first in metal to don corpse paint), then floated down a staircase and the crowd went wild. The performance lasted just over an hour with a set list of only eleven songs, with a large chunk coming from their 1983 album Melissa. It was a memorable and historic show, a fantastic performance by one of heavy metal’s greatest bands.

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Swedish metal legends Meshuggah, after having to postpone original tour dates, finally landed at the Fillmore Silver Spring Tuesday night, assaulting the stoked audience with their brand of extreme metal. Joining them on their US tour are Converge and Torche.

Three bands on the bill means the night got started early. Torche (Steve Brooks, Rick Smith, Jonathan Nuñez, and Eric Hernandez) set the tone for the crowd with their heavy, grinding sound—everyone in the still-assembling crowd was banging their heads in unison. Torche sounded great; sadly, this is to be their last tour. Earlier this year, singer-guitarist Brooks announced he’d be leaving after touring as support for Meshuggah this year. Later, it was confirmed that the band would be calling it quits entirely. Torche’s last album was 2019’s Admission.

Sandwiched in between acts was Converge (Jacob Bannon, Kurt Ballou, Nate Newton, and Ben Koller). Formed in Massachusetts in 1990, Converge’s roots are in both hardcore punk and heavy metal, and they are considered one of the earliest and most influential metalcore bands. Vocalist Bannon paced the stage like an animal, barely pausing so we could get our shots, and swung the microphone cord around like a whip (I got knocked in the head a few times). The crowd responded with gusto and expressed thanks in the form of headbanging and crowd surfing.

Finally, Meshuggah. The anticipation in the crowd was palpable and rightfully so. Formed in 1987, Meshuggah is known for their innovative style and the band has been identified as among the most important bands in metal. They’ve even inspired a metal sub genre—djent—characterized by its complex rhythm patterns.

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Lake Street Dive sold out yet another venue when the band stopped by Washington, DC’s Anthem last Friday night, offering up a night of jazz and soul-inspired music to the happy and enthusiastic crowd.

Supporting Lake Street Dive on this tour is Washington state native Allen Stone. It’s not the first time Stone has treated Washington, DC to his old school funk and soul sounds; he’s headlined in town before, having most recently played the Lincoln Theatre last December and the 9:30 Club just before the pandemic shut everything down.

So the crowd was already happy to see him and eager to hear his gorgeous voice, often compared to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. This was my first time seeing Stone; the voice stopped me dead in my tracks. Stone’s latest album, released in November 2021, is APART, featuring acoustic versions of fan favorites spanning his catalog. Friday night, Stone filled The Anthem with his sweet melodies and even sang his thanks to everyone present, from the crowd, to the bartenders, and even the venue’s custodians.

The Brooklyn-based, multi-genre band (Rachael Price, Bridget Kearney, Mike Calbrese, Akie Bermiss, and James Cornelison) packed much into their set—plenty of the setlist came from their 2021 release Obviously (“Hypotheticals,” “Hush Money,” and “Same Old News,” among others). In addition, the set was sprinkled with cover tunes—the Jackson 5’s “Want You Back” made an appearance, as did Carole King’s “So Far Away,” and Bonnie Raitt’s “Nick of Time.”

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The unofficial last week of summer kicked off with a treat for metal fans at the Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland. Swedish death metal legends At The Gates performed their 1995 album, Slaughter of the Soul, in its entirety and brought along Municipal Waste and Enforced for the ride.

Virginia-based Enforced took the stage at 8PM, assaulting the still assembling crowd with its thrash metal. Formed in Richmond in 2017, Enforced (Knox Colby, Will Wagstaff, Zack Monahan, Ethan Gensurowsky, and Alex Bishop) came together from the ashes of other hardcore and punk bands. Their latest album is Kill Grid, released last year, said to be a “nine-song cluster-bomb of thrashing death on apathetic times.” Vocalist Knox Colby marched back and forth across the stage like a beast, an animal roaring at the crowd. I can honestly say this was one of the most intense sets I’ve seen in recent years.

Virginia was represented yet again with Municipal Waste, who treated the Fillmore to a whopping nineteen song setlist, crammed into 45 minutes. The thrash outfit (Tony Foresta, Ryan Waste, Philip Hall, Dave Witte, and Nick Poulos), which formed in Richmond back in 2000, traffics in aggressive yet fun material. Labeled “party thrash” by the media, the band includes songs like “Beer Pressure” and “The Art of Partying” in their setlist, along with new tunes from their latest album, Electrified Brain, such as “Demoralizer” and “Electric Brain.”

The Monday night, first-day-of-school crowd had to be nudged a bit by vocalist Foresta to get the circle pit and crowd surfing going, but they got up to speed in short order. If you’re unfamiliar with Municipal Waste, it might be easy to write off their music based solely on the party hardy subject matter of their songs. That would be a mistake. Underneath that partying is heavy, hard driving, ass kicking musicianship. While Municipal Waste counts bands like Anthrax and Slayer as influences, I also picked up a heavy dose of Judas Priest in their sound; if you know me at all you know this is high praise on my part. Municipal Waste picked up a new fan in me Monday night; I’m sorry I forgot to buy a shirt!

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It’s been a busy year for Duran Duran. Last October, the legendary band (Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor) from Birmingham, England released their 15th album, Future Past, one that they say is a nod to their past while embracing their future. It makes sense. Duran Duran have always had an eye to the horizon; they were famously among the first to embrace the music video. That willingness to look ahead has contributed to their longevity as a band, but mostly they just make great music that stands the test of time.

But I digress. Back in June, the band performed at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration outside Buckingham Palace, celebrating the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Last month, Duran Duran kicked off the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a headline performance in Birmingham. To top it all off, Duran Duran—one of my all-time favorite bands and my first true musical love—were announced as one of 2022’s inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That honor will be formally bestowed on them November 5th in Los Angeles.

Amidst all of that, the band found time for a tour to promote the newest album; the Future Past tour made a stop at Maryland’s Merriweather Post Pavilion Tuesday night. Duran Duran brought down the house with their mix of old and new. I expected nothing less.

As in the past, Nile Rodgers & Chic joined the tour as support. What a pleasure and a privilege it is to see Rodgers perform. The man’s career has been simply mind boggling—the record producer, composer and co-founder of Chic has contributed to records that have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide. He co-produced Duran Duran’s 1986 album Notorious, and remixed “The Reflex,” their biggest-selling single. Grammys? He’s got three of them. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? He was inducted in 2017. If you’ve ever liked a great pop/ funk/ disco/ soul song that was made at any point since the ’70s, chances are Nile Rodgers had a hand in the creation of it—the man’s abilities are just jaw dropping.

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Last Thursday night, I was in the pit of the Fillmore Silver Spring, focusing on photographing Hatebreed, when I was startled by a firm nudge to my ribs, inching me closer to the stage. It was a member of the Fillmore’s security staff making his way to a crowd surfer who was swiftly approaching the barrier. In a flash I had to recalibrate my actions in the photo pit to dodge security, the half dozen other photographers sharing the space, and fans coming at my head, all while getting my shots.

It was 6:50pm and the roof was already coming off the joint five minutes into the support act’s set. The tone was locked in for the rest of night as Anthrax and Black Label Society’s coheadlining tour made a stop in the Washington, DC area and were received with headbanging enthusiasm by thrash and heavy metal fans of all ages.

While the night got started early, the venue was already full when Hatebreed (Jamey Jasta, Wayne Lozinak, Frank Novinec, Chris Beattie, and Matt Byrne) took the stage for a loud and aggressively fun set. It was a fuss free, no-frills production but that didn’t matter—the Connecticut metalcore vets delivered. After I left the pit, I retreated to a far upper corner of the venue. From there I could watch the fans on the packed floor. Hatebreed had the crowd fist pumping and headbanging in sync. The setlist drew from across the band’s career; it speaks to the strength of a tour’s lineup that the support act has a career that spans 25 years.

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I love telling the story about how I discovered The Budos Band, because it was, for me, like finding a unicorn. A special event that only happened by chance. In 2011, I was in Milwaukee for a conference and stepped out one evening for a stroll. My feet led me to a park across from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. My instincts served me well; The Budos Band just happened to be there, playing a free show. Captured by the band’s funky, Afro-soul sounds, I fell hard and remain a Budos disciple to this day, attempting to convert the uninitiated any chance I get.

Over the last year, these lords from Staten Island (Jared Tankel, Thomas Brenneck, John Carbonella Jr., Mike Deller, Daniel Foder, Andrew Greene, Rob Lombardo, Brian Profilio, Dame Rodriguez) have played a few dates here and there; much to my frustration, I was unable to attend shows in Seattle and Chicago in the fall and spring. So I was thrilled when the summer tour was announced—the band’s longest in four years—and joined many others for a Budos party at the 9:30 Club Wednesday night.

The band crowded the stage which had been fully stocked with beer (beer that was generously shared with the audience), and launched into “Old Engine Oil,” from their 2019 album, simply titled V. It was a good thing the photo pit set up by the 9:30 Club was narrow that night, otherwise it would have been impossible not to use it as a personal dance floor.

The great thing about a Budos Band show is they could pick songs out of a hat and the setlist would still be great—their catalog is just that good. However, they were careful to choose tunes from across the band’s history, from 2005’s Up From the South, to 2020’s Long in the Tooth. As usual, I was happy to hear “Chicago Falcon” and “Black Venom,” two songs I can honestly say I listen to daily.

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The Fillmore in Silver Spring, Maryland had the privilege of hosting a stop on Faroese vocalist and musician Eivør’s very first North American tour Saturday, bringing a night of Nordic music to the Washington, DC area.

First, a little context for the unfamiliar. The Faroe Islands are a tiny archipelago located halfway between Norway and Iceland and is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Known for its isolation and subpolar climate, it’s from this environment that musician and vocalist Eivør Pálsdóttir, who performs professionally simply as Eivør, comes to us. Raised in the village of Syðrugøta (population <500), she performed on television for the first time at age 13 and has since dabbled in jazz, classical, folk, chamber pop, and electronic music, releasing her first album Eivør Pálsdóttir, in 2000.

In the last decade, Eivør has also contributed to the soundtrack of BBC’s The Last Kingdom, her voice has made an appearance in a video game (God of War), and she received the 2021 Nordic Council Music Prize. Eivør’s latest album is Segl (2020). Unlike most of her catalog, her latest release is mostly sung in English.

It was a seated show Saturday night, unusual for the Fillmore, but chairs were filled with fans who not only knew the music but could also sing along in Faroese. I arrived unfamiliar with Eivør’s work and was in the minority that night. There was a woman in full face makeup who never bothered to take her seat, she simply danced in the back of the room all night. Others shouted words of support and threw horns. Eivør seemed genuinely humbled by the support of the crowd, saying she only expected “maybe about 10 people” to show up.

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I’ll confess to being unfamiliar with Warpaint prior to last Tuesday, when I had the pleasure of photographing the LA dream/ psychedelic pop quartet at Washington, DC’s Capital Turnaround. I’m more into rock and metal and usually prefer loud, shredding guitars to dreamy harmonies. So, while I headed into the venue not entirely sure what to expect, I headed home a new fan.

Warpaint faithful gathered early to get good seats in the general admission venue and to catch techno duo Belief. Belief is a collaboration between Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa and producer Bryan Charles Holon. For roughly 20 minutes they played their thumping techno music shrouded in darkness, against a backdrop of rapidly changing graphics projected onto a screen. It got the crowd moving in their seats and many fans leapt to their feet and cheered the duo as they took their bows.

Soon the quartet of casually dressed, cool, LA women (drummer Mozgawa, guitarists Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman, and bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg) took the stage, launching into “Stars,” from the 2012 album Exquisite Corpse. The band’s latest album, Radiate Like This, was released in the spring; six of the ten tracks on that album were in the set. The audience ate it up. There were many notable moments, including the stunning “Melting,” when the group gathered at the front of the stage to sing together while only Kokal strummed a guitar and, appropriate for DC, a cover of Fugazi’s “I’m So Tired.”

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Veteran rockers The Cult made a stop on its “We Own the Night” tour at The Anthem in Washington, DC, bringing along Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Zola Jesus to play to the mostly Generation X crowd.

Kicking off the night was Nika Roza Danilova, who goes by the stage name Zola Jesus. Her latest album Arkhon, was released just last month; the album explores heavy themes brought about by the current state of the world. In a 30-minute set, Zola Jesus introduced the still-assembling Anthem crowd to this music, appropriately wrapped in an industrial and goth sound and bathed solely in red light (the latter making for a frustrating photographic shoot, especially from the soundboard). There are elements of classical music in her songs as well as underscored by the presence of a violinist in her backing band.

After a quick turnover, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club took the stage. The setlist spanned most of B.R.M.C.’s albums, but leaned mostly on songs from earlier LPs, like “Spread Your Love” and “Red Eyes and Tears” from the band’s first album, B.R.M.C (2001), and lasted an entire hour, rather unusual for a support act. While well-performed, the band’s vibe was also distinctly mellow, somewhat flying in the face of their garage rock sound. Nevertheless, including B.R.M.C on the “We Own the Night” tour was a good choice. The band’s catalog complements that of The Cult, and provides aural lubrication for the crowd, prepping them for the headliner.

It was 10:20PM when The Cult finally took the stage. In 2022, The Cult consists of two original members, Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (guitar), as well as John Tempesta (drums), Charlie Jones (bass), and Mike Mangan (keyboards). They launched into a setlist of fan favorites, which included all the songs you’d hope for, “Sun King,” “Edie (Ciao Baby),” and of course, “Fire Woman” and “She Sells Sanctuary.”

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An enthusiastic group of ska/punk fans gathered on a stormy night in Washington, DC to catch co-headliners Flogging Molly and The Interrupters take on the Anthem. The evening got off to an early start—6:30PM—a necessity given the bill’s four bands.

Kicking off the festivities were The Skints. Hailing from London, this young reggae punk band expressed gratitude to the still small crowd for getting in early—something, they acknowledged, they wouldn’t be likely to do themselves. In a swift 30 minutes, The Skints introduced themselves to the crowd, me included. I’m more of a metalhead but was quickly impressed by the band’s energy and talent. Drummer Jamie Kyriakides and bassist Jonathan Doyle provided the tight rhythms, while guitarist Joshua Rudge engaged the crowd. The remarkable Marcia Richards acted as frontwoman while playing guitar, keyboards, and sax.

After a quick turnover, Tiger Army took the stage. The California psychobilly trio, who’ve been at it since the late 1990s, consists of singer-guitarist Nick 13, stand up bassist Djordje Stijepovic, and drummer Mike Fasano. In a quick set, they gained more than a few new fans, including me. Tiger Army’s brand of psychobilly has a classic but modern sound and doesn’t feel at all dated.

The Interrupters then took the stage like Energizer bunnies to an explosion of cheers from the audience who sang along from the very first note of “Take Back the Power.” Fronted by the charismatic vocalist Aimee Interrupter, the band also features twin brothers Jesse and Justin Bivona on drums and bass, respectively, Kevin Bivona on guitar, and Billy Kottage from Reel Big Fish on trombone and organ.

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A delighted crowd packed Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland Saturday night to see Robert Plant and Alison Krauss “raise the roof” during a set that showcased the magical pairing of the two music legends.

You might argue it was long overdue. Plant and Krauss first collaborated in 2007, which resulted in the successful Raising Sand. Only in 2021 did we get a follow-up, Raise the Roof, released in November. The setlist drew from the new album and threw in some covers.

Of course, these covers included some Led Zeppelin. Over the years, the retooled, folk rock/country version of “Rock and Roll” has grown on me and I’ve come to appreciate hearing it live. However, this setlist also included two of my all-time favorite Zeppelin songs, “When the Levee Breaks,” which gave guitarist JD McPherson the opportunity to take the spotlight, and “The Battle of Evermore.” I daresay that Krauss’ angelic but powerful vocals on “The Battle of Evermore” rivaled Sandy Denny’s original recording in 1971. I’m not ashamed to admit that it brought a tear to my eye and was what finally got the mostly grey-haired audience on its feet Saturday night.

For his part, the Robert Plant of 2022 is matured and subdued, but there are hints of rock’s Golden God of the past, which manifest these days as the occasional familiar hand gesture, hip thrust, or “ooh yeah.” Mostly he is a lovely, harmonizing, on-stage partner for Krauss. The two elevate and improve upon material they cover together. Live, the duo is supported by an incredible backing band wielding instruments that include mandolin, fiddle, and stand-up bass. It really is magical to witness.

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